Rotigotine in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.: A study on a sample of 150 patients

Introduction. Rotigotine is a non-ergot dopamine agonist that has become the first treatment for Parkinson's disease formulated as a transdermal release system. Its side effects are very similar to those of other dopamine agonists, as well as those deriving from the site of application, while its advantages include a once-daily administration, the absence of interactions with foods and steady levels in plasma. Aim. To determine the frequency of and reasons for withdrawing rotigotine in 150 consecutive patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Patients and methods. A retrospective analysis was carried out using the database at our Movement Disorders Unit in order to identify the first 150 patients who were treated with rotigotine. Only patients with Parkinson's disease who were free of intracranial lesions, psychiatric pathologies or dementia were eligible for inclusion in the sample. Patients were evaluated before and at two, four and six months after beginning treatment with rotigotine. Results. In all, 85 males and 65 females were identified. A total of 110 of them had previously been treated with dopamine agonists. Although 12% of the patients dropped out, 88% of them continued the treatment. The reasons for with drawing were worsening of the clinical condition (12 patients), lack of effectiveness (three patients), drowsiness (two patients) and dyskinesias (one patient). Conclusions. Rotigotine is safe and effective as medication in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The fact that most of the drop-outs were due to a worsening of the clinical signs and symptoms after changing from another dopamine agonist suggests the need for an equivalence between other agonists and rotigotine.